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Southern hospitality

The last week of March, Genie and I visited relatives in Harrison, Arkansas. We took Interstate 35 on the way down and U.S. 65 on the way back. The distance was almost the same, with the freeway being faster and 65 being more scenic.

Interesting things we saw along the way were: 1. A freeway sign “Don’t ‘Meth’ With Me, I’m Drug Free.” 2. On the back of the trailer of a semi: “Our main resource is sitting 63 feet ahead.” 3. On an outdoor sign in front of a church where the letters are manually changed: “Some will give God the credit but not the cash.”

We stayed at the Comfort Inn the first night at Bethany, Missouri on I-35. The young guy at the desk recommended “Toot - Toot” Restaurant for the evening meal. The restaurant was named after that old song “Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye.” We strongly agree with the recommendation, as the price was right, the food was good, and the articles on the wall were most interesting.

We stayed four nights at the Quality Inn in Harrison, Arkansas. Genie and I both agreed, as we left, that it was time to leave, as we were speaking slower and with a Southern drawl.

If you want to stay at a property with the desk employees’ treatment of guests “12” on a scale of one to ten, then stay at the Quality Inn in Harrison. Janie, Jan, Carrie and Ernie will exceed your expectations. This is most certainly true.

On our way to the Complimentary Guest Breakfast we heard a lot of hollering in the ladies’ restroom. A female voice was pleading for help. She told me the lock wouldn’t unlock. I brought the problem to the attention of Janie at the front desk. She contacted maintenance, and Mark (the boss) and Anthony (the slim younger helper) came to the rescue of Melissa, a housekeeping employee. The result was, Anthony took a ceiling tile out of the next room to crawl through, removed a ceiling tile and dropped down into the restroom to remove the door and rescue Melissa.

Genie and I both noticed being the boss most definitely has advantages. (Right, Mark?) Sad to say, Melissa hadn’t clocked in, so no payment for her long bathroom outing!

Our relatives, Sandy and Frank Meng, did an excellent job of showing us around Harrison while keeping my tummy full. As we left, Frank pointed out to me he was not a member of the rich Chinese Ming family, but a member of the poor Norwegian Meng family.

On our way home we stayed at the Comfort Inn award-winning property in Marshall, Missouri. As we checked out, we were lucky to talk to a most pleasant housekeeping supervisor at the front desk.

Once again, to all the Southern people with that great Arkansas drawl, “Thanks.”

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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.